Second Impressions

I would write more about my first impressions of Prague, but I really didn’t have time for them. We arrived at night, and the next day the weather was cold and drizzly. I learned to use the trams (trolleys) and the metro (subway). I learned that restaurants refuse to serve tap water here and that beer is, in fact, cheaper than water. I learned that “Almost everyone speaks English there” is bullshit. I suppose I learned much more, but my impressions of the city would have to wait: I was focused on meeting people, getting dry, and getting warm.

The little Czech that I’d learned before arriving proved invaluable. Even, “Pardon me, where is…” followed by a pantomime is better than just the pantomime. My prior learning also helped me to match the static-infused tram stop names read over the loudspeaker to the names written on the map above the window.

For the sake of brevity, I must gloss over a few of my first trials and tribulations of life in a foreign country. Suffice it to say I’m bringing my backpacker’s backpack with me next time I grocery shop and I will never again use a frigid tram stop as a meeting place.

The weather here is indescribably cold. Today I wore a T-shirt, a long-sleeve shirt, a hoodie, a fleece, and a shell (I also wore long underwear and a wool hat). My five layers were barely able to combat the five degrees of heat outside (Fahrenheit). 5°F is gelid no matter how you look at it, but with a humid breeze, it soaks into your bone marrow.

Despite the cold, I noticed for the first time how truly beautiful Prague is. The arctic sun beamed down on the city as I walked out of class to a magnificent view. At Will’s suggestion, we walked to the AIFS office by way of Staré Město (a.k.a. old town). This was the Prague I’d seen in guidebooks. There in front of me was a giant Jan Hus, who protested the Catholic Church in 1412 and began an endless struggle between Catholics and “Hussites.” If countries had a national martyr in the way states have state flowers and state birds, Jan Hus would represent the Czech Republic.

Prague is beautiful from the ground up. In Zones 1 and 2 (central Prague), there is no asphalt or concrete to be found. The roads are of chiseled stone, laid in fanning patterns. Even parking lots are made of patterns of bricks. Every sidewalk is its own mosaic, lending each corridor of painted buildings its own feel.

The buildings themselves form a mélange of architectural styles and pastel colors. Archways leap from building to building. Balconies look intently over the cobblestone roads shared politely by cars, trams, and pedestrians. Towers gawk over the beautiful city that they are a part of.

The city is frozen, but, undaunted, it remains alive.